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When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey many were hoping that he would bring political change and uproot the Romans. But God’s kingdom often looks like the opposite to what we expect - will we join God with what He is doing or will we quickly turn on Jesus when our expectations are not fulfilled?

Jo and Steph discuss how recognizing and responding to what God is doing requires us to have an understanding of what God’s kingdom looks like - concentrating on internal changes which impact external ones.

Discussion questions:

1) Read Matthew 21: 1-11 and put yourself in the place of the different characters in the story - the religious leaders, the crowd, the disciples. Where can you identify with their response to Jesus?

2) Think through some of the parables and things Jesus says about the kingdom in the Bible. How does Jesus challenge our thinking on what God’s kingdom should look like in regards to who is welcomed, the role of finances, what faith looks like etc?

She intentionally serves as a credible witness of Christ’s leadership to engage, equip, and empower people to live and lead on purpose. She is the visionary founder of the 501(c)(3) organization,Leadership LINKS, Inc.,a ministry that exists to connect people with purpose.

Leadership LINKS exists to educate and equip servant leaders who are committed to using their skills and resources for the greater good of humanity. We fulfill our vision by offering leadership education that facilitates impactful living, character and spiritual development.

Natasha is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Charlotte (cum laude, M.A. Christian Leadership) and the U.S. Naval Academy. A former Marine Corps officer, she has over 15 years of leadership and mentoring experience in the military, government, church, seminary, and nonprofit sectors.

God is already moving and doing things in our lives, neighborhoods and world and He desires for us to meet Him in it. Can we recognize what He is doing and join Him in it?

Jo and Steph embark on a new season during the season of Lent looking at how we can discern what God is saying and respond to Him accordingly. In this show they discuss everyday things which prevent us from responding to God - 5 Barriers beginning with ‘B’!

Busyness

Battles

Bitterness

Brokenness

Babies!

Discussion questions:

How does it change how you feel about mission / responding to the brokenness we encounter knowing that God is already there and our job is to just respond to God’s personal invitation to us in each situation?

Think back to changes in seasons in your life which have made it more difficult to recognize what God was doing. (Job changes, babies, moving from/to singleness)In what ways did you learn in recognize God in new ways in those transitions?

Who are the people who you have invited into your life to prayer with you and help you recognize what God is doing and to keep you accountable to respond?

This week Jo and Steph look at key men and women in the Bible who were given a calling and a promise and then for an extended period of time they recieved the exact opposite to what God had promised.

They also take time to look at Joshua and Caleb, faithful leaders who were ready to respond to God’s invitations to enter the Promised Land but who were held back by others.

Who would have thought that the crazy wilderness journey which is opposite to the promise is actually the journey to the promised land itself?

Discussion questions:

1) Do you know what your purpose is? What has God called you to do, not matter what season you are in? Jo mentioned that hers was ‘equipping others to be all they are meant to be’. Spend sometime developing a personal missional statement.

2) Have you ever felt held back as a leader by other people’s lack of faith? How did you respond to that disappointment?

3) What happens when you are the person who sees the giant and is afraid to go in? Are you prepared to believe? Are there giants that are sabotaging your life right now?

4)When you have longings do you tend towards despair or hope? How can you invite God into your longings so that they are transformed into hope and faith?

5) Are you paying attention to what God is doing in the midst of waiting? Steph mentioned how learning plumbing through broken toilets was not her desired calling, but it has prepared her for later in life in her calling. What things are seemingly pointless in your life right now which God could redeem?

In this episode Jo chats with Rachael Leman, the executive director for CARE, a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. Their focus is on women and girls, recognizing that poverty will only be eradicated when there are equal rights for all.

Listen in to hear how CARE is working to impact the lives of many people positively, empowering them out of poverty.